posted at 9:31 pm on December 18, 2013 by Mary Katharine Ham

Phil Robertson is the patriarch of the very popular Robertson family of the very popular A&E show, “Duck Dynasty.” The Robertsons, who run a multi-million dollar duck call and hunting gear company, are beloved for their good-natured family drama, creative country fun, and down home senses of humor. They’re also vocally devout Christians, and Phil credits Jesus with keeping him sane and his family together when he was headed down a very different path.

“We’re Bible-thumpers who just happened to end up on television,” he tells me. “You put in your article that the Robertson family really believes strongly that if the human race loved each other and they loved God, we would just be better off. We ought to just be repentant, turn to God, and let’s get on with it, and everything will turn around.”

What does repentance entail? Well, in Robertson’s worldview, America was a country founded upon Christian values (Thou shalt not kill, etc.), and he believes that the gradual removal of Christian symbolism from public spaces has diluted those founding principles. (He and Si take turns going on about why the Ten Commandments ought to be displayed outside courthouses.) He sees the popularity of Duck Dynasty as a small corrective to all that we have lost.

“Everything is blurred on what’s right and what’s wrong,” he says. “Sin becomes fine.”

What, in your mind, is sinful?

“Start with homosexual behavior and just morph out from there. Bestiality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman and that woman and those men,” he says. Then he paraphrases Corinthians: “Don’t be deceived. Neither the adulterers, the idolaters, the male prostitutes, the homosexual offenders, the greedy, the drunkards, the slanderers, the swindlers—they won’t inherit the kingdom of God. Don’t deceive yourself. It’s not right.”

“It seems like, to me, a vagina – as a man – would be more desirable than a man’s anus. That’s just me.”

It’s certainly a colorful expression of his personal preference, and expresses mild confusion for others’ tastes, but it’s not a terribly mean-spirited comment.

Now, he’s been suspended by A&E indefinitely because they object that the devout Christian and social conservative cash cow who averages 14 million viewers per episode might express views on homosexuality that differ from, say, those Pajama Boy might express in his Oberlin Race & Gender in the Media symposium. (For perspective, A&E’s “Breaking Bad” series finale— the most talked about finale in the history of all TV ever—attracted 10 million viewers.)

“We are extremely disappointed to have read Phil Robertson’s comments in GQ, which are based on his own personal beliefs and are not reflected in the series Duck Dynasty,” A&E said in a statement, which was reported byThe Hollywood Reporter. “His personal views in no way reflect those of A+E Networks, who have always been strong supporters and champions of the LGBT community. The network has placed Phil under hiatus from filming indefinitely.”

Because GLAAD is mad, and though there’s no evidence that Phil Robertson has ever discriminated against gay men and women or treated them badly, he must be punished for his views.

“Phil and his family claim to be Christian, but Phil’s lies about an entire community fly in the face of what true Christians believe. He clearly knows nothing about gay people or the majority of Louisianans — and Americans — who support legal recognition for loving and committed gay and lesbian couples. Phil’s decision to push vile and extreme stereotypes is a stain on A&E and his sponsors who now need to re-examine their ties to someone with such public disdain for LGBT people and families.”

This statement doesn’t really seem to match Robertson’s actual comments, but I’m guessing they’re just in cut and paste mode at this point. Robertson offered this statement and will appear on Megyn Kelly’s show tonight:

“I myself am a product of the 60s; I centered my life around sex, drugs and rock and roll until I hit rock bottom and accepted Jesus as my Savior. My mission today is to go forth and tell people about why I follow Christ and also what the bible teaches, and part of that teaching is that women and men are meant to be together.

“However, I would never treat anyone with disrespect just because they are different from me. We are all created by the Almighty and like Him, I love all of humanity. We would all be better off if we loved God and loved each other.”

To the Left, it doesn’t matter how Robertson actually treats real people. The thought that homosexual acts are wrong is enough to make him a bad person who should be fired. He’s literally guilty of a thought crime against humanity even if he is literally tolerant of gay people every day of his life. There is no room for tolerance of him.

I don’t agree with Robertson’s remarks, but this is clearly an overreaction. Even those who are more critical of Robertson than I think this was a bad move by A&E. Maybe if he had talked about someone defecating in a specific gay political figure’s mouth, he could have gotten a few more weeks on the air. (For the record, I wasn’t a huge fan of Martin Bashir or that Martin Bashir got fired for saying something dumb, as I think we should allow room for people on both sides to say things that offend people without getting fired.) I’m sure it’s a misreading of A&E’s audience, who will not take kindly to this decision, and probably the Robertson family, who will have countless offers to do their show elsewhere and, oh yeah, also have a multi-million dollar company to keep them occupied.

Comments

Your over-reaction to Phil’s interview (typical for you lot) and your slavish response to GLAAD’s mis-statement and mis-quotation of Phil’s POV (also typical for you lot) make it very clear that A&E doesn’t want to have anything to do with Phil or those who might actually, you know . . . live what they believe.

In light of that fact, you can make that DD number 14 million minus 4.And apply that -4 formula to anything to do with A&E.

BTW you’ll find plenty of horror stories about German trains not running on-time just by checking the various travel boards.

Del Dolemonte on December 19, 2013 at 12:33 PM

BTW you’ll find plenty of horror stories about libfreeordie simply making up a point and throwing it out there as a fact (as if it were going to win him a debate) just by checking … really any thread he comments on.

smoothsailing on December 19, 2013 at 12:40 PM

Yeah, I’ve been around here long enough to witness that spectacle.

libfree’s problem is that being in an academic environment means you will never be held accountable for your shoddy work, so anything goes!

Why do we continue to slouch towards Gemorrah? Why not sprint towards it? At our current pace, it will take at least 5 WHOLE YEARS to get to the point where the Government bans Christianity due to its “anti-civil rights bias”. Why not just go full Monty now and banish Christianity? Just in time for Christmas, too! In the process, Bibles can be either re-written to meet civil rights standards or banned if they fail to “cooperate” with Government sanctioned editing. Can you picture the glee in the homosexual community over Bibles being flushed down the toilets in Gitmo?

Meanwhile, New Mexico is now the latest state to have legal same-sex marriage.

libfreeordie on December 19, 2013 at 1:42 PM

So? You know where this is headed. First gay marriage, then polygamy, then bigamy and the final result will be any combination of consent adult will be able to marry, and an individual will be able to engage in an unlimited number of marriages. Marriage will become nothing. That brings us back to my earlier theme. Your side is good at creating emotional narratives, but ends up causing nothing but destruction. You can’t have marriage. You can only destroy it.

Libs, they couldn’t make any ground on the 2nd Amendment, so, now they are attacking the fist. The best part, they keep exposing themselves and based on what I have read today, most of America is not liking what they see.

A&E released a statement saying: “We are extremely disappointed to have read Phil Robertson’s comments in GQ, which are based on his own personal beliefs and are not reflected in the series ‘Duck Dynasty.’ His personal views in no way reflect those of A+E Networks, who have always been strong supporters and champions of the LGBT community. The network has placed Phil under hiatus from filming indefinitely.”

Apparantly A&E is run by a bunch of Liars. Placing Phil under hiatus makes his personal beliefs reflected in the series. I think I’ll buy a duck call from them and advise them to all make similar statements to get out of their contract with GayAndEE.

Most popular program on cable; some other network will snatch that program up and air it.

MKH – “It’s certainly a colorful expression of his personal preference, and expresses mild confusion for others’ tastes, but it’s not a terribly mean-spirited comment. ”

Er… It is not colorful NOR is it mean-spirited. It is factual and blunt (to the point). He did not cover all manners of achieving or*asm between men or women certainly… that was not his point. He expressed a natural, biological preference that the majority of humankind agrees/experiences/acts on daily. This is not shocking or colorful. It is factual and true.

MKH – “I don’t agree with Robertson’s remarks, but this is clearly an overreaction.” – THIS CONCERNS ME – did you not read ALL of his comments? He clearly specifically details that we are to love all and to treat folks with respect. RESPECT does not mean agreement or acceptance of harmful/unnatural lifestle choices. This is conservatism/moral/Christian basic concept thinking to the core. IF you do not grasp that – then there is something wrong with your mindset.

Just because people want to be accepted and be loved and will take the love from whatever source it comes from – does not mean that feeling/need of acceptance trumps natural biology nor does it trump the clearly stated nature of sin of all sorts in the Bible.

God did not say… “hey… don’t murder unless you were ‘born that way’ …. hey don’t lie, cheat, steal, unless you were born into a poor family that was ‘disadvantaged”. The Bible and God are pretty BLUNT and clear cut when it comes to sin and that we are to avoid it and will be judged for our sins. Those that fail to accept God’s offer of Jesus to cover our sins pay the ultimate price for their sinful behavior. It’s not PC, it’s not reality tv worthy? But there it is.

Why do you not agree with Phil? I would be very interested to hear what your thinking is since you clearly disgree with Phil’s statements.

I think it’s a stupid show-be that as it may, if that darn many people are offended it will show up in the ratings. Let the market place decide, or maybe the Duck Dynasty boys can go to a network that isn’t so PC/thin skinned.

I think it’s a stupid show-be that as it may, if that darn many people are offended it will show up in the ratings. Let the market place decide, or maybe the Duck Dynasty boys can go to a network that isn’t so PC/thin skinned. – Dr. ZhivBlago on December 19, 2013 at 3:57 PM

I agree, let the market decide. Being suspended by A&E for his remarks is over the top. As someone who is gay, the gay community needs to grow some thicker skin of its own.

Libs, they couldn’t make any ground on the 2nd Amendment, so, now they are attacking the fist. The best part, they keep exposing themselves and based on what I have read today, most of America is not liking what they see.

DDay on December 19, 2013 at 2:05 PM

fist = first.

DDay on December 19, 2013 at 2:06 PM

Naw, I’m thinking, with the Gay crowd and all, you was right the first time.

And a Marxist. And an obsessive mentally ill parasite living on the taxpayers dime do nothing of any economic value at all. And a phony pretentious low IQ clown with a worthless affirmation action PhD.

Basically the dunbsh!t is a Hot Air freak side show and it is too stupid to know it.